xxxZigZagxxx's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[ICU]

0:00 Tighttttt... there's so much reverse.
0:10 You're always the man at the sample manipulation
0:18 Not sure if I'm a fan of the complete silences.... after each "for you"
0:33 That string sample. Such a fan.
0:38 I can hear the reverb on that little click.
0:54 OK right here would be a good time to provide a breakdown.
1:11 You've always been adept at this kind of beat. Comparisons to Madlib, etc.
1:24 That abrupt ending

This has groove, it has flow, it reminds me of Madlib, Dilla, those kinds of folks. You might want to put a little bit of release on the end of your samples, coz they end so quickly, but maybe that's a stylistic choice. Overall, this bumps hard. Nice!

phosphorusprocedure responds:

Thanks for the feedback! I had it end kinda abruptly since the whole time the dude is "searching" "for you" and at the very end: "I see you" -- or, ICU. Story's over, I guess. Although when I was making it, I couldn't make up my mindi whether it was designed for someone to rap over, or for plain old listening. If I leaned towards the latter, I might've shortened it or thrown in a breakdown like you said. Also, the click not lining up with the snare sometimes kinda bugs me, but it didn't seem like a total deal breaker. Thanks again. Also, I read all your other reviews. It was a lot in a short span of time, so it might take me a while to respond to all of them. But I did read them!

[Boss Music]

Nice. needs a bit of 8-bit drums and you'll have it all sorted. you got the essence of composition already even back in 2011.

Btw send me a dl link for that game. i might be interested :)

phosphorusprocedure responds:

I crunched the sound quality in the actual game to ease the download time. I don't think drums would've survived the transition well. Maybe they could have? Anyway, I sent you the link. Thanks for the review!

[Overworld Music]

Sounds like it's old. Nice little melodies though. Shows how far we've come. Yes, there is that little distortion thing at the end of the loop. :)

lol i like u tho

[jingle]

0:08 Let's see what jingle's all about.
0:14 I like the vocal sample and the way it cuts out.
0:21 You're so inventive. I love it. Can we be frenz?
0:35 Yes. This is what I love to hear.
0:48 Yes pleas.
0:57 You're inventive. I love that.
1:03 I love it. You're so good at doing those pads.
1:15 You remind me of the way I produce sometimes... but you're a lot better at mixing.
1:30 Yay. Cowbells are the best.
1:37 I like the rhythm and the way this flows.
1:47 Those snares. Interpolation or something.
1:57 Hehe this flip. It's all nice and progressive.
2:10 Could be louder, but that's a nitpick.
2:15 yay.

It's a really good song. I have no qualms. It's inventive. But perhaps, like me, you don't tend to handle the "hype up" vibe that much, you just create really good beats but you don't really hype it up. Which is a good characteristic, and it means you can create good quality songs without gimmicks, but sometimes you need the "woosh" and the automation filters to make it shine like a star. But I'm criticizing you on what I can't do, so that's kinda sad.

Good song!

joshlul responds:

thanks for the good feedback, that doesn't stop me from trying i did do the hype up vibe in the song i creatively named "hype", i can't normally do it, only it accidentally happens and then i roll with it.
typically my chiller tracks are more well received so i guess that reflects what you're saying.

[Sail Atop The Waves]

0:00 Flutey. I like.
0:08 Ew I don't exactly like the full melody
0:15 Hmmm those snares are trilling along nicely.
0:24 OK I like where this is going... very Zelda-ey.
0:33 You're probably inspired by Wind Waker, aren't you? Yes you are, you naughty boy you! ;)
0:51 Lol. Very happy. I LIKE these chords. very nice... you don't really settle down do you?
1:05 Those hi-hats are interesting...
1:12 This synth is cool. i like the really triumphant voice your song has
1:23 This synth is sooooo cool I love choirs tho...
1:34 EW that sounds like the default FL drum.... the snare! ew lol it wasn't even properly mixed
1:46 I can hear distortion in my left ear
1:53 PLS dont use that snare it's offending
1:58 EW that piano please don't. that piano sound is disgusting. it sounds like FL keys ewwwww my earssssss
2:13 OK i like the choir and the main synth... but please stop the piano arpeggios
2:27 Nice chord progression.......
2:34 Very uplifting.
2:45 I wonder how this is going to end
2:50 SO MUCH DISTORTION
2:55 Don't make your synths so loud that they clip...... lol

OK weird ending so abrupt, but it's overall a very happy piece that's blighted by some poor mixing that causes distortion and some really "default-sounding" sounds that sound like FL defaults. Their usual snares or keys. Even if I'm wrong, that you used some professional VST, that's what it sounds like anyway. Get a new piano vst ;)

But other than that, pretty well constructed and composed. You're good with chord structures but sometimes just lack the skill in choosing the right sound.

Cheers!

Imagine-Blue responds:

Aw man, thanks! That's such detailed feedback! Now I can work more effectively on improving my music.

So, regarding the chord progression, I did go quite wild on this one (I usually stick with a four-chord pop song structure) with two main progressions : one is the main Ab-Eb-B-Db-Absus2-Eb-Ab-Db and the other, to which I switch at 1:31 and 2:30, is the radically different G-D-Em-C (flat chords were starting to annoy me).

Distorsion really is a problem, I need to get better at mastering.

About the instruments I used:
1:34: That is a default FL drum... sorry. But what do you mean, it wasn't properly mixed? I agree that there are problems with it, but I might be missing some terminology here.
1:53: Really? I'll make sure to use better snares from now on (what would you recommend?).
1:58: I do need a new piano vst. Any good one in mind?

Other stuff:
0:24: I've been waiting my whole life for someone to tell me my music was Zelda-ey (though Kalyben did say that about "Man In A Purple Hat" a while ago). Thank you :)
0:33: Yes I am ^^ The Wind Waker soundtrack is one of the best video game soundtracks I've ever heard.
I was actually also inspired by the soundtrack for the mobile game Starlink (which is really good, in my opinion)
0:51: As I mentioned, these chords are triumphant, but they are also... weird (for me, at least).
1:12: Trimphant is what I was aiming for :)
2:13: Sorry about the piano arpeggios. It's true that I tend to use repetitive backround melodies that actually take away from the main one. I'll watch out for that in the future.
2:55: Guess I got a bit carried away on the loudness thing. I'll try to be more balanced next time.

Anyway, thanks again for the wonderful feedback and the time you took to listen to my song and comment on it!
Cheers!

[worn]

0:00 Yes. very nice.
0:18 This is what I like to hear. Those vocal samples just being chucked around willy-nilly.
0:28 Oh dayum.
0:32 Hmm... that flow kind of got lost. I like the hi-hats though...
0:40 EEK that synth is yuck. Pls dont. Not nice. The melody doesn't really fit. Sorry... I liked what you were doing b4
0:57 OK... interesting interlude...
1:07 I think there's too many disparate elements and they don't gel...
1:20 That snare and clap is nice though
1:28 The way you use that voice though. it's like meowing lol.
1:35 OH man this has potential but it's missing it so hard
1:50 OK now it just sounds like you're pasting patterns everywhere... please man please impress me i know you can
2:04 heck i'm following you anyway because i know you have talent
2:15 That laugh lol i like it
2:23 OK this is nicer flow but it's gonna finish soon...
2:29 Yes pls. That choir is nice and soothing.... sounds almost arabian this part does

OK yes it was very interesting but the elements felt very disparate and didn't fit together that well. It seemed to progress from one state to another without reaching a real groove. That said, your mixing is top notch so I know you can do well and I've subscribed. Despite its setbacks it was still an enjoyable listen.

Yo :)

joshlul responds:

read me like a book, i got lazy at some parts and pasted in parts from another track. this one has been sitting in my daw for a while so i really just wanted to get it out.

[~SW and EW~ Smoke]

0:06 That mic. Interesting voice.
0:20 Nice remix Skye
0:26 Not a huge fan of his voice, he seems to over-breathe, but it's pretty OK. And he says stuff like "tit you ever stop to think"... his d's are too pronounced
0:53 But your reversed guitars and all that jack are awesome.
1:00 Ooh those plucks
1:05 Yes. I love the claps and the way things just revolve around.
1:25 OK i liked his falsetto there. I want him to reach higher notes now.
1:36 OOh. ambient. I like.
1:42 Yes. that's nice. i like that part of his voice. reminds me of Rhye.

Hmm this is a very nice piece. I liked the moodiness of it. Reminds me of Rhye and it's really slow. But it also reminds me of Enya, and that's not always a good thing. Sorry if you're a fan of Enya.

Buuuuut you handle the reversed components and reverb and all that crapp really really well and I liked that part of it. Decent remix of a song, even if, as you said, you didn't have much experience mixing vocals. I suck at it too.

Favourited both of you tho. Keep it up kind of thing.

SkyeWint responds:

Remix?

I made the original piece, this is just adding vocals. :P

The overpronounced d's are probably a result of my adding high-end reverb.

This was definitely on the low end of his vocal range, from what I know. Up higher, it's really great. The 'claps' are just impulses of processed white noise, and the plucks are just basic oscillators under a volume gate.

I'm glad you like it! The reversed components and reverb are some things that I work hard on - sound design and mixing.

Hope we can get some more good music out for you in the near future. :)

[Cloud Powder (loop)]

0:00 Hmm. It's pretty loud!
0:09 The synths aren't mixed that well, but the composition's OK
0:17 Hmm... seems a bit crowded. And the bass is overwhelming.
0:33 Yeah I think you can do a bit by EQ'ing that will solve a lot of these problems.
0:00 loops well toh

Ok a nice loop, but it gets a bit annoying after a while, and you need to learn how to EQ the bass out of your synths to make it less annoying. Like, it has this really piercing vibe that's hard to shake. Other than that, it's a good stepping stone. Just needs work.

TinyLobsterFace responds:

Thanks for the feedback, though I don't know how 'bass' can be piercing.

[found]

0:00 OK
0:20 I'm not that experienced with Grunge, but this sounds cool. Reminds me of when people used to have bands in their Garage.
0:37 Pretty tight work with drums. Some is a little offbeat but that doesn't really matter when you've got a nice sound. Especially when you hvae the fills, it takes just a little while to come back just like an inexperienced drummer. But it reminds me of Meg White, and coincidentally Meg White is one of my favourite drummers coz she keeps it simple.
1:29 It's pretty nice. I like the 4-hit snare roll you do sometimes. Perhaps don't do it after every single beat, otherwise it might get a little old.
1:51 Yeah there we go, it's changing up.
2:05 OK let's see if it's staying like this for ages.
<skips about the song>
4:15 ooh i like this part. it's really solemn nice guitar playing, but it's so quiet you can almost not hear anything.
4:57 reminds me of oldfield or something. pretty nice.
<skips>
6:00 lol lots of extraneous sound. oh well.

Pretty nice demo. I liked it. I'm not experienced with grunge but it sounded good to my ears. Kind of like Nirvana meets White Stripes or something. Garage rock and Grunge or something.

Cool stuff.

sixshadowsix responds:

THANKS!